Plans Change, People Don't
by Trueheart Zen
Summary: It's been a year since the final battle and Hermione is in the process of putting her life back together, when the ministry enacting a controversial Marriage Law makes her change her plans again, and again... and again. Hopefully by the time her life is done being turned upside down, she'll find herself in a situation she rather likes.
1. The Un-Tame-Able Toddler

_Authors Notes:_

_Obligatory explanation of what I'm doing here: It's ya boi back at it again with the marriage law fics, if you're familiar with my last one you might recognize some of the plot points, but I'm doing things so differently I couldn't call it a rewrite._

_I have no planned update schedule since I have a toddler of my own, but I have a plot outline and I'm excited to do this, so we're going to have a good time._

_Final Obligatory: This is generally following book canon except when it doesn't suit me, mostly where Fred is involved._

* * *

_**Chapter 1 - The Un-Tame-Able Toddler**_

"_Teddy, NO_!" Mrs. Weasley screamed, followed by several loud crashing noises and the shriek of a toddler who's plans had not panned out the way they had intended.

Dropping her quill, Hermione rushed into the kitchen to help, which proved to be a bad move as she skidded and slipped and narrowly avoided landing right on Teddy as she crashed to the floor, smacking her shoulder on the counter as she went down.

The spilled cauldron would claim two more accidents before the mess was all over, both Ginny and Mr. Weasley both rushing into the kitchen to assist and earning bruised tailbones and a skinned elbow for their efforts. They were all of course, lucky that the potion had long since cooled.

It was Fred and George, just home from a tough afternoon of running their joke shop that came to everyone's rescue, stepping through the door to a chorus of "STOP!" before their feet could hit the slick floor.

"Can't survive five minutes without us, can you?" Fred teased, stepping onto the floor as soon as George's spell had made quick work of the worst of the mess, and scooping up Teddy, who's cries had turned to raucous laughter as everyone slipped and slid around him.

"Maybe take him with you next time." Mrs. Weasley snapped at her son, brushing off her skirts as she found her footing.

"Now Mum, you said just last week that the shop was the last place we were to bring Teddy." George said, as he helped his father into a chair.

"You alright, Hermione?" Fred asked her, holding out a hand to help her off the floor.

Letting go of her throbbing shoulder, she took the offered hand and got shakily to her feet. "You're lucky you're cute." She informed Teddy, who was working on the sucker Fred had given him with single minded determination.

"Hey now, I'm intelligent too." Fred teased.

Hermione looked away rather than deal with his damned self-satisfied smile. "Is everyone alright then?"

"Just some bruised pride." Ginny replied, letting her mother wrap her bleeding elbow. "Sorry he got away from me, little bugger is getting faster by the day."

"Where's his prodigal godfather gotten to today?" Fred asked, referring to Harry as he buckled the toddler into his high chair, scattering some cereal on his tray like chicken feed.

"Taking a nap, he said Teddy didn't let him get any sleep last night, like he was the one getting up with him." Ginny replied. While Harry was the sole legal guardian of the freshly-one-and-ready-to-take-on-the-world Teddy Lupin, it was the other residents of the burrow that did all the actual childcare.

"If you need to tag out tonight, I've got him." Hermione offered, taking the soggy sucker stick from Teddy and wiping his hands with a damp rag. He fussed a bit in response, his hair turning green. While the boy mostly slept through the night, he was prone to night terrors, and consoling him was often an all-night affair.

"Would you? You're a life-saver, I've got a job interview tomorrow and I'd like to have my wits about me."

"That's the first I'm hearing of a job interview." Mrs. Weasley said, and then turning to Hermione. " Do you need some cream for that bruise, dear, it's already looking nasty."

Hermione, glancing at the dark purple mark the counter's kiss had given her, replied in the affirmative.

"Well, it's an er.. less a job and more an internship, just a couple hours in the mornings-" Ginny stammered, trying to find her nerve.

"You're doing that thing with your hair you do when you don't want to tell mum what you're actually up to." George says, leaning against the counter beside his brother and peeling an apple with a knife.

Ginny looked at her brother as she mustered all her courage, and then spoke with all the fiery determination she was able. "It's tryouts for the Harpie's summer training camp. I have a real shot this year, I'm already in the advance-"

"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Weasley interrupts, slamming the container of cream into Hermione's hand. "You're going back to school this fall!"

While Hogwarts had closed it's doors for the last year to rebuild, they would be opening again in the fall and accepting all the students who had the desire to come back and finish their education that had been interrupted by the last battle and all the events leading up to it. While many had enrolled in the other Wizard schools, and other's had decided their education complete – like Harry, others like Ginny and Hermione had opted to take the year to heal before finishing out their education.

"It's just for the summer, Mum, the camp ends before-"

Noting the building blowout between the Weasley matriarch and her headstrong daughter, Hermione opted to unbuckle Teddy from his high chair, brush the cereal off his pants, and shout "I'm taking Teddy for a walk!" into the screaming match of the kitchen.

"Excellent idea, wish I'd thought of it myself." Fred said, following her out the door, grabbing the toddler's backpack harness off its peg on the wall before closing the door securely behind him.

While Hermione wasn't sure why Fred was always so keen on spend time with her, she gladly accepted the assistance, assuming today it had something to do with the fact that Teddy had already caused one catastrophe and looked ready to cause another. The reason for his eager company aside, and the shapeshifting toddler strapped into his harness and leash – they set off away from the house with gusto.

"How was work?" She asked, pausing to let Teddy inspect a flower growing by the fence.

"So quiet we cleaned the whole shop, George even dusted by hand if that tells you anything."

"By hand? I didn't know he knew how." Hermione replied.

"Don't let mom catch wind of it, you know how she is on the soul cleansing properties of dusting by hand."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said, kneeling to stop Teddy from putting the flower in his mouth. "It's just a pretty, you can't eat it."

Teddy, replying simply with a mouth full of vowels, began his quest down the driveway once more, leading his current keepers on an adventure only he knew the end of.

They made small talk as they walked, close enough to touch but only ever on accident, talking about their respective days – Hermione had been researching types of enchanted tracking bracelets, hoping to make one Teddy couldn't slip when the mood suited him, to little avail.

"Are you busy this Thursday night, by chance?" Fred asked, fiddling with the rock Teddy had given him to hold.

"Not particulary, I need to return some library books at some point but I have until Saturday. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, there's a new 'American' food place opening up not far from the shop and I wanted someone to try it with." Fred replies with a rather casual shrug, accepting a second and third rock from Teddy, who's hair had changed back to his familiar Weasley orange.

"Is George busy or something?" It wasn't often that the two weren't together, so the idea of Fred not already having someone to try a new restaurant with was a rather foreign concept.

"No, I just thought you might like to go, preferably as a date but – _Teddy no_!" Fred scooped Teddy up quickly, keeping him from putting his hands on the poisonous flower.

Teddy, of course, wailed, snapping Hermione out of the feeling of several gears snapping into place in her brain that she had been working very hard on keeping tied back.

Grateful for something she had the ability to immediately solve, she patted the pockets of her robe, producing a pacifier which she then offered to the wailing Teddy. He accepted it gratefully, before careening full force out of Fred's arms into her own. "I know, he's very mean." Hermione soothed, patting Teddy's back as he babbled around the binky about how spooked he had gotten. "If he isn't keeping you from eating dangerous plants he's asking me on dates, what are we going to do with him?"

"I suppose you'll just have to go out with me and set me straight." Fred replied, grinning as he leaned against a fence-post.

It was very hard to even consider declining, especially when he smiled like that, the setting sun lighting his whole figure aglow. She would be lying if she said she wasn't very interested in doing just that.

"We'll start with the one date, and I'll let you know if I think you're salvageable." Hermione replied, with more confidence than she thought she currently possessed, what the the rapid pulse and toddler pulling at her hair and crying about being tired. "But first, perhaps, we need to get Teddy inside and ready for bed."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think  
-Zen


	2. The Rogue Chaser

_Author's Note: This is mostly a fluff chapter while I try to work out everyone's speaking styles, but I think I've got everyone sorted enough now that I can get this show on the road._

* * *

Chapter 2 – The Rogue Chaser

"_Preferably as a date_, I'm surprised she didn't turn you down just for sounding like a absolute dunce." George teased, tossing another bottle at his brother. It was early morning, and the store was filled with the crackle of potential energy.

Fred caught it easily, and slid the bright green bottle of OmegaGrow onto the shelf with its fellows. "I didn't want to turn the charm all the way up and melt her completely, you know how it is."

"If that's your charm on low, I'm not sure I ever want to see it turned up." George replied, holding a bottle up to the light and inspecting it carefully, before deciding whatever he was looking at was fine and tossing it to his brother.

"And how would you have handle it, most charismatic one?"

"Not asking the poor girl out while she was taking Teddy for a walk, for starters."

Fred adjusted the bottle so the label was pointing out. "It's impossible to get her alone otherwise, I wasn't about to drop to my knees and profess my undying love while she's sitting in the living room."

George snickered. "Can you imagine? You'd probably get half a sentence out before Mum or Ginny hexed you into next century."

"I'd be lucky if that's all they did, Mum will probably have a conniption when she finds out, she's always going on about how brilliant and perfect she is."

"That's cause she's on to you, a blind hag could spot the way you look at her from a county away, like you're one touch away from a massive coronary." George teased, clutching his own chest dramatically. "Oh Granger, the most insufferable know-it-all to ever grace this earth, won't you be mine?"

Fred tossed a crumpled invoice at him, and missed.

"Now Fred, you didn't consider the crosswind, if you look at these calculations here-" George started in on his worst Hermione impression, and stopping only because Fred started throwing candies at him, yelling something about how he had just stocked that display.

Fred tossed a couple more for good measure, and shelf stocking quickly devolved into the two of them running through the aisles tossing things at each other. By the time the clock behind the counter screeched opening time, the two of them were sitting on the floor laughing and still throwing sweets in the other's direction, the floor of the store littered with brightly colored wrappers.

"Hey Freddie, you interested in a bet?" George asked, flinging a Ton-Tongue toffee at him, the blue wrapper shining in the light as it fell into his lap.

"Another one? You can just volunteer for a second week of product testing." Fred replied. George had earned the first goading Fred into finally asking Hermione out in the first place.

"Double or nothing."

"Bet you can't get a second date."

* * *

The shop cleaned up and all doubts of romantic prowess aired, the day began to drag on, the early morning promise of a good sale day dissolving by noon, when the only excitement of the day came from a woman looking for the pet store.

"I think we should expand our inventory." George said, sweeping the floor for the second time in as many hours.

"Again? We just added a whole line of hair products." While the Metamorphagus in a Can and Un-Perm were top sellers, it was obvious that the shop needed something more to appeal to the every day wizard.

The front door chimed, and Ginny and Hermione walked in with Teddy in tow. Ginny looked rather worse for wear, her padded training uniform covered in mud and her hair a mess.

"Just the girls we were hoping to see!" George said, greeting them cheerfully. "You have good ideas sometimes, what stunning new product should we work on next?"

Ginny shot her brother a dangerous look. "Marital aids."

"Why, is your fresh pickled toad not doing it for you anymore?" Fred asked, leaning over the counter..

"No, that way you both can shove them and your stupid questions up your-"

"Ginny!" Hermione warned, gesturing pointedly at Teddy, who was kneeling down to look at a shiny bottle on a bottle shelf.

"Oh come off it, he's heard worse every time Harry stubs his toe."

"To what do we owe this lovely mood to, fine sister?" George asked, taking the bottle from Teddy and offering him a ball instead.

"Oh no reason, brother dear, just was in the area and wanted spread happiness and joy."

"Tryouts were dismal and I thought you two might help brighten the mood. We brought lunch." Hermione added, dropping a picnic basket on the counter.

The sandwiches passed out and a small table set up for Teddy to make a mess on, it became more clear the more Ginny talked that she actually had a good chance of being accepted into the training camp.

"-and then no sooner had I made my third goal than I got smacked by another damn Bludger, honestly who even thought putting those demonic balls in the game was a good idea."

"You must have been off your game, I haven't seen you let a Bludger near you since the summer we enchanted those frisbees." George said, before starting in on his third sandwich.

"That's what I told Coach Tempe, she said I could prove that in the time trials tomorrow but-"

Fred stopped paying attention, watching Hermione follow Teddy around the shop, a complicated and strange dance of toddler and caretaker. A feeling Fred couldn't quite place bubbled beneath the surface as he watched the two.

"Hey Hermione, what was the name of that one bloke that was talking to us at tryouts, the one I thought was weird but you said was kinda cute?"

"Marcus?" She replied, peaking around behind a display. "Emerson, I think."

"Right, anyway, he and these two wet noodles of girls are top contenders along with me, there's only three slots but I think I've got a good chance if I knock one of them off their brooms tomorrow when it's my turn with the bat-"

"Teddy no, spit that out you don't want-" Hermione began, and a small jet of flame shot out from behind the display, followed by Teddy's unmistakable shriek.

The three of them around the counter were on their feet in an instant.

"Hey, dragons don't cry." Ginny soothed, holding the still fire spewing toddler against her shoulder as Fred offered him a drink.

"I didn't even realize he had anything until he had already eaten it – I was keeping him away from the candy but he must have picked it up somewhere-" Hermione was saying, sounding rather upset with her mistake.

"Don't worry about it Granger, first one's free." George replied, earning him an annoyed glance.

"Finally taking my advice about free samples, then?" Ginny asked, brushing away the tears on Teddy's face. "Maybe we'll let him try one of the blue ones that make your tongue swell up, that'll really prove that it's safe to bring him here."

Teddy murmured something around the spout of his sippy cup, sniffling. His shirt was singed, but he seemed fine otherwise.

"Maybe we'll put up a baby jail behind the counter, it'll give me somewhere to put Freddie when he starts getting mouthy." George said, ruffling Teddy's orange curls. The kid looked more like a Weasley every day.

"Oh, have I outgrown being locked in the broom closet them? Thank the stars, it's my lucky day."

* * *

The fire-breathing toddler incident handled amiably, the twins decided to close up shop early for the day in order to give Ginny the Beater lessons she needed in order to take out her competition. With Teddy in the house being put down for a nap, it was even safe to bring out the real live Bludgers, setting them loose in the orchard for Ginny to chase down and smack around.

It was obvious she would never make it as a professional Beater, but she had the spirit, swinging her bat with all the might of someone with a lot of pent up rage. The floating targets Fred had set up didn't stand a chance.

"Ready for a moving target then?" George asked, already kicking off from the ground and taking to the air, bat in hand and ready for the sibling showdown.

"I'm always ready for some payback!" Ginny called, swinging her bat wildly at the nearest ball, barely connecting and sending it rocketing in the other direction.

Fred stayed on the ground, wand out and ready to stop a Bludger from leaving the play area they had set up.

"Hey, Molly says it's about time to wash up for dinner." Hermione's voice made him jump, so enthralled by watching George and Ginny try to hurt each other he hadn't been paying attention to anything else.

"Is it that late already?"

"You know how it is, time flies when you're trying to see how many bones you can break in one afternoon. Is Ginny winning, at least?"

"Tie game so far, they've each taken a couple hits apiece but the goal here it to knock the other off their broom. I think Ginny might have it though, George is holding on with the hand he used to test a numbing cream today and I'm not sure if all the feeling has come back yet."

No sooner had he spoke than it was Ginny on the ground, with a colorful display of curses that everyone hoped she wouldn't teach Teddy.

"As usual, I spoke too soon." Fred said, looking away from the makeshift arena to look at Hermione, a mess of curls framing the roundness of her face. Maybe the way he looked at her did make things obvious, come to think of it.

"I meant to ask yesterday, what time did you want to-"

"Rogue Bludger! Look alive!" George screamed, and Fred instinctively pulled Hermione into him, the Bludger he was supposed to be keeping an eye on whizzed over their heads and careening wildly around the orchard, bumping into trees as it went.

"I said look alive!" George called, buzzing past them both to go chase it down with Ginny fast on his heels, the force of the wind nearly bowling them both over.

"Can't help but fall for me, huh Granger?" Fred teased, as the two of them moved apart, hands brushing as they put themselves back to rights. He was prouder than he should have been that he did not have a massive coronary over it.

"You're going to run out of lines like that eventually, and then you'll be at my mercy." She replied, a powerful glint of mischief shining in her eyes.

"Are you two going to stand out there all night or are you coming in for dinner?" Ginny called, standing with her broom at the other end of the orchard as George locked both the Bludgers away into their box.

"We might, what's it to you?" Fred called as he started walking over.

"Other than the two of you looking like a bad romance novel cover out there?" Ginny replied once they had reached her. "You know how Mum is about being late to dinner."

"Bad romance? Ginny, dearest sister." Fred defended, standing behind her and framing the orchard with his hands. "Look at that sky, the blossoms on the trees. My figure standing there in the clearing was nothing short of art, to say nothing of Granger."

Hermione, to her credit, merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh, if it's art we're talking about, let me show you how I swing a bat." Ginny replied, picking it up from the ground.

"Remember what I told you now, pull the power from your whole body, not just the shoulders." George reminded her. "Pretend he's the Bludger that's going to secure you a spot in the training camp."

It was his mother calling them all inside that saved him from finding out if Ginny was actually going to hit him.

"Are you calling, Mum?" Fred replied first, quickly moving to head inside. "We'll be right in, I just had to corral these hooligans.."

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Thanks for reading! Date chapter next, in the meantime please drop a review and tell me what you think.

\- Zen


	3. The Business Meeting

_Alternate Chapter Title: In which someone remembers Fred is a small business owner and injects a bit too much realism into the situation – no seriously I looked up the bulk price for small glass bottles_

_Update: I have been informed that root beer floats are a a regional thing, so for anyone unfamiliar, it's a bubbly dessert drink made by pouring soda over ice cream. I am pretty unfortunately American, so if I let any more things like that slip by feel free to let me know and I'll add it to the notes._

* * *

_**Chapter 3 - The Business Meeting**_

As it turned out '_Just down the street from the shop_' was a bit of a exaggeration, as the restaurant wasn't even in Diagon Alley, but in Muggle London, a short walk from the Leaky Cauldron.

Luckily, Hermione was prepared for a trip into the Muggle side of town, and stashed her robes in the cavern of her enchanted handbag, revealing a modest green dress that she hadn't the chance to wear out in public yet. Checking herself in the mirror of the pub bathroom, she took a second to process her emotions.

She was out on a date.

This was her first date since the Yule Ball.

Importantly, this was her first date with Fred Weasley, who, if she was being completely honest, she had been completely, and embarrassingly, infatuated with since at least her second year at Hogwarts, if not sooner.

While there was a score of reasons this was probably a bad idea, and she had even written them down to prove a point to herself at one point – the truth of the matter was that there was a score of reasons it was a good idea as well.

The most important of them all being that she wanted to. And so she was.

It was, from an objective standpoint, a terrible date. The location was interesting enough, a cute hamburger place where the waitresses wore roller-skates and the root beer floats came in fish bowls with two straws, but conversation faltered and stuttered, the two of them making little more than basic small talk. Hermione talked about her recent trip to Australia to visit her parents -who were still trying to decide what to do with their two lives - and how she was trying to decide if she was going to take a correspondence course rather than go back to Hogwarts for her last year. Fred talked about plans for expanding the shop to a location in Hogsmeade.

It was good conversation, but it was a conversation they could have had at any time.  
It occurred to her, somewhere in the middle of dipping a french fry in ice cream, that the societal trappings of a traditional first date weren't the best option for two people that already knew each other as well as the two of them did. They did not struggle for lack of a common ground, but for a lack of novelty, and what could even be done about that?

"Is there something on your mind?" Fred asked, cocking his head to look at her while she appeared to be contemplating her french fry.

"No, well, yes, but not in a way I can put into words."

"I didn't think it was possible for you to be at a loss for words. At least this early in the night, anyway."

"Oh, I didn't realize the night was young. What's next on your master plan?"

"Your first mistake was assuming I had a plan to begin with. I've successfully gotten you here and all I'm capable of talking about is business taxes in Hogsmeade."

"I can't say it isn't a fascinating subject, who ever would have thought that the tourist village would have such an outrageous tax on small businesses."

"I'm glad you think it's such riveting material, perhaps for our second date I'll bring my invoices and you can help me figure out where TaniCo gets off charging me three sickles apiece for small bottles."

For some reason, that was the funniest thing he had said all night. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

For not the first time this night, but the first time while also laughing hysterically, she wondered if this was either an elaborate prank or a terrible mistake.

Maybe both.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Fred offered, as the waitress skated by and dropped off the check, carefully balancing a tray of glasses in her other hand in a way that would seem magical to anyone that didn't deal with magic of a different sort every day.

"That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

It was a cool night, with the promise of rain on the horizon, because April always promised such things. Clouds dotted the skies and obscured the stars, the waning crescent moon occasionally peaking out.

Still, as night skies on first dates went, it was beautiful.

She looked over at Fred, looking at the same sky as her. A dark shadow of stubble framed his jaw, and she wondered how it would feel against her skin.

Maybe it was time to find out.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked.

After the shock wore off, he responded with just one word.

"_Please_."

And so she does, and so they do, and her entire world is soft breath and not being entirely sure what to do with one's hands, followed immediately by the two of them being overeager to finally feel the connection spark between them – not exactly magic, but a very tangible desire for a second kiss, and hopefully still more after that.

She barely even feels the rough graze of his jaw.

They pulled away for a moment, staring into the reflections of the streetlamps in each other's eyes, before finding out their second and third kiss was much better than the first, lips meeting gently, fingers tangling in hair, and hearts writing their mysteries in rapid, unknown code.

"Perhaps we should find somewhere to sit?" Fred suggests, hands sliding down her shoulders and taking both her hands in his, holding on to her as though in fear she might dissolve like a specter before him.

"Have anywhere in mind?" She asks, trying to calm herself enough so she can focus on her surroundings.

He looks around, not letting go of her hands. "Not near here, there's this little park near the river but it's a bit of a walk, perhaps we could-" He pauses with a bit of a cough, at loss for the proper way to allude to apparition.

"Hail a taxi?" She offered.

"Right."

Begrudgingly letting go of one of her hands, they set off into the alleyway, where taxis are of course, found, and with a crackle and the slight discomfort of instantly and magically changing one's place in the fabric of spacetime, they appeared again in a small copse of trees.

A terrified rabbit bolted away from the scene of their appearance.

"Oh, I know this park, it's got those.. odd sculptures." Hermione said, looking around for signs of life that didn't hop, and finding none so far.

Passing one such odd sculpture, even stranger in the dark, they found a promising bench to enjoy each other's company on, a nearby streetlamp allowing them enough light to see by, but not so much that it brought to light the reality of what they we're doing.

"What's the plan after conquering Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked, tracing small circles on the the soft skin of his hands as they sat close but somehow still too far apart.

"The world, I suppose. I'm not actually too keen on opening a second shop, but – Are you really that interested in business, or does the idea of dating an enterprising small business owner just get you that hot?"

Hermione's laugh came out as a choked snort. "Neither- I'm trying to- I'm trying to see how well this, er- how well _you_, fit into my plan."

"Oh, so you're the one with the master plan. Let's hear it then." Fred said, draping an arm around her shoulder with no pretense that it was for any reason other than wanting to touch her.

"I can't say it's as concrete as to include provisions for local taxes, but for starters I want to finish my schooling, and help my parents move back to the country, and then.. you see that's where things get a little hazy."

"Oh, can't decide if you want to become Minister of Magic or earn your _second_ Order of Merlin first?"

"You're not far off. The world is just so full of things I want to do, both magical and otherwise, it's just so hard to decide."

"Well.. you're always welcome to come help us make new products for the shop, it's not a cutting edge ministry internship, but we do have a life insurance plan."

"Life insurance, very prudent."

"You see, I've also planned for the future. For instance, I plan to die at some point."

Perhaps this line of conversation was not the type of thing that needed positively reinforced, but he needed kissed, and she was just the only person for the job.

"I knew good business sense got you all bothered." He teased, pressing small kisses to the side of her cheek, and cautiously starting down her neck.

"And if it does?" She asked, putting her hand on his cheek and moving to claim his lips again with her own.

"I finally have someone willing to do my taxes?" He teased, quickly kissing the tip of her nose.

"Oh, is that what this is about then?" She accused, nipping at his jaw. Perhaps not her best choice, but it felt right in the moment. This time, she does note exactly how rough the stubble is there.

"Ah, yes, my master plan revealed, not only do I want your body, but your brains too."

"At least you're honest, I'd hate to let this go on just to find out that you're only interested in the brains."

"I can prove more of my interest, if you like." He offered, beginning again his quest to kiss as much of her as possible, his breath warm and inviting on her neck.

As good as it felt, she was rapidly reaching the end of her comfort zone.

"Mmm... maybe not tonight." She squirmed, gently pushing him away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, you're great, I'm just – it's a lot, all at once, you know..?" She said, taking his hand in hers and giving a reassuring squeeze.

"A bit, yeah. I just didn't think I'd ever get the chance to touch you like this that I _really_ didn't want to waste the opportunity."

"I think it's safe to assume that this isn't going to be a one time thing." That in itself posed several problems that didn't need addressed tonight – in fact she had been ignoring most of them for the past couple of days, telling herself that she just had to see how it went before she started worrying about the logistics of schedules and other people's opinions.

He breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't realize he was holding. "Good, cause I've seen some evil pranks in my day but that would really blow them out of the water."

"It's funny you say that, I was almost worried you were pranking me."

"I may be an idiot, but I'm not suicidal. If you didn't kill me for it, at least half my family would." he laughed. "Still might, come to think of it."

"Yeah, we'll just.. invite them to the wedding in a couple years. They don't have to know until then."

"Oh, are we getting married then? I thought you said you hadn't planned that far ahead."

His tone was teasing, but that didn't erase the implications of what she just said. At least in the darkness, he probably couldn't see the brightness of her cheeks, but she still hid her face in absolute shame.

"Oh no, you've admitted interest in this relationship, how will you ever recover from your shame?" He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Her reply was an indignant murmur. Words were so very, very tricksome and she shouldn't be expected to choose good ones after a night like this.

"Listen, if that's your plan, sign me up. I'm just happy to be included."

She looked up at him. She felt like her edges were fuzzy, like she was a sketch in someone's notebook rather than a real person, her lines blending into his. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

_I suppose I should mention at this point that this is an AU where Hermione never dated Ron, cause I am not dealing with that weirdness._

_Thanks for reading! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!_

_\- Zen_


	4. The Split Decision

_Alternate title: In which I spend three days arguing with a chapter for no good reason_**_  
_**

* * *

**_Chapter Four - The Split Decision_**

The shop bustled with activity, hardly a aisle without someone browsing. George roamed the aisles deftly, lending assistance, answering questions, handling breakables, while Fred manned the cash register, numbers running between his ears but never sticking – here's your total, here's your change, can I sign you up for the birthday club-

Fred's smile was more than just the usual shine of his customer service demeanor, of course, but the distraction of the busy shop kept his thoughts focused.

Like most days, business dwindled to a slow but steady trickle by mid afternoonn. Fred was in the storage closet when he heard the front bell chime.

"Hey there Granger, can I interest you in a free sample?" George's voice called, louder than necessary.

"Only if you split one with me."

There was a pause, before George replied, "If you cut I'll pick."

"You'll want to split it lengthwise in that case." Fred warned, setting his burden of boxes on the counter. Only half of the pastries had the potion filling, which was part of the whole gambit.

"You have the spine of a man many times your age." George told him. The tray he was holding originally held pastries in every color of the rainbow, but only pink, blue, and green ones were left.

"I wish I could say the same about your sense." He replied. "What'll it be then Granger, Benevolence, Sorrow, or Mutually Assured Destruction?"

"Do I get a third hint?" She asked, looking back at him.

He pondered that for a moment. "Let me put it this way, if I was making George split one with me, I'd take a green one."

She glanced at the pastries and made a decision before she could even furrow her brow in concentration.

"Green it is then." She said, picking up the knife and cutting it in half.

"You sure know how to pick them, Freddie." George said, setting the tray down on the counter. "Cheers then." He picked up half the green pastry, and Hermione followed suit.

"On three then? One, two, three."

They both took a bite, and to her credit, Hermione didn't flinch, inhaling half the pastry in one bite, a determined look in her eyes.

"That's so cold!" She exclaimed a second later, dropping the pastry and clasping her hands to her throat.

"Gets colder, just give it a second." Fred said, laughing as George was the first to hiccup up an ice cube.

What he wasn't expecting was the two of them to turn on him, shoving ice cubes down his shirt and pressing frigid hands to his face.

"Damn savages, the both of you!" He exclaimed, trying and failing to fend off their attack.

The door chimed again, and a older gentleman in dark green robes walked in. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked, stopping a couple steps in and surveying the scene.

"Not at all, we were just.. teaching our delinquent cashier a lesson. Can I help you with something?" George said, not missing a beat despite the fact he was putting off steam like a block of dry ice.

As George showed the man to the stock of hair growth tonics, Fred turned his attentions to Hermione, who was still shaking with cold.

"You alright Granger? You know you didn't have to try any of those." He walked over to the coffeepot and poured her a cup, adding his estimation of her preferred amount of cream and sugar. He knew she liked her coffee very pale, but he had probably overdone it.

"And miss out on the chance to watch you squirm? Not likely." She replied, accepting the drink. "Thanks."

"Oh, is that what this was about?"

"Something like that." She replied, failing to disguise her smirk into a sip of coffee.

"So, which of you is the delinquent cashier?" The gentleman asked, coming up to the counter with his collection of items, as George walked behind the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"She is." Fred said, gesturing at Hermione. "Just can't find good help these days."

"Of course." He replied, setting his items on the counter, before giving Hermione a second glance. "Do I recognize you from somewhere?"

Fred glanced at Hermione, who had suffered quite a bit under all the press coverage in the last year. "I get that a lot." She said, in a careful tone. "My cousin plays for Holyhead Harpies - family resemblance. You know how it is."

"Harpies, bah, terrible season last year, wasn't it?"

"Absolute disappointment." She replied.

She sighed in relief as he left. "I'd better get going before someone actually recognizes me." She said, getting down off the stool she was perched upon.

"You sure you don't want to try out a hair dye potion and stick around?" He offered.

"I think the aura of winter is enough for now." She replied. While George was mostly back to normal, Hermione's fingers were still blue and her coffee mug was covered in frost.

"I'd offer to let you take off early, but I'm not doing the restocking by myself tonight." George said, putting a display to rights. It had been quite a busy day.

"Right. I'll see you Monday then." He said, only a bit ashamed at how much he was dragging the conversation out to keep her from leaving.

"Yeah, my therapy appointment got rescheduled for earlier in the day so I'll be free around three." While most of the family had enrolled themselves in therapy sessions in the last year, Hermione was the only one that still went regularly.

A small child's voice broke the tension between them. "Mummy, is that Hermione Granger?"

He hadn't noticed them enter the store, but now a small dark haired child was looking up at her like she had just met her hero.

"Of course not darling, what would she being doing here?" The child's mother asked, not even glancing at Hermione.

"Well, I was last time I checked." Hermione said, to the little girl looking up at her with stars in her eyes. "Don't mind the blue hands, they're only temporary."

"_I knew it._" The child gasped in response. "You're so cool!"

Hermione had the look of someone that was very unprepared for hero worship.

The girl's mother gave Hermione a look like she was trying to discern secrets from her. "Forgive me, I just didn't expect someone like you to be working here."

Fred tried really hard not to be offended. It wasn't exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find someone like Hermione, but nearly every product in the shop was his and George's own invention, damn it.

"Have you given this place a look?" Hermione asked. "You can't find these products anywhere else."

"Ah, so you're the mastermind behind all this. Of course."

There was a lot of particularly rude things he wanted to say, but he held his tongue, choosing instead to give George a glance. They both waited for Hermione's response.

"Oh, I wish I were this inventive. If you're looking for the mastermind, you'll want to talk to Fred and George here." She said, gesturing to them both. "I'm just here being a nuisance and trying to steal trade secrets."

"Ah, so you did have a nefarious scheme in visiting today." George replied. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Thanks for being so supportive back there." Fred said, walking Hermione to the Floo network station. While she just as easily could have apparated home, it was a nice excuse to take a couple minutes to talk to her before getting back to work.

"Well I wasn't about to take credit for your work, I wasn't lying when I said I wish I was as inventive as you."

A blossom of warmth unfolded in his chest. He had been complimented on his work before, but it meant so much more coming from her. "Ah, it's a blessing and a curse some days. Like I said before, I'd love for you to help us experiment sometime."

"As long as you don't make me be a guinea pig too, I might be interested."

"Nah, that's what having siblings is for."

"I think they believe otherwise." She said, pausing and looking around the crowded station. The room was filled with green smoke that stung his eyes, but that didn't deter his desire to keep her for as long as possible. "I had better get back, I told Ginny I'd watch Teddy for her this evening.. the frost hands will wear off soon, right?"

"Within the hour or.. you'll probably want to see a healer." He admitted.

"Lovely." She said, looking down and inspecting them. "Well, I'll see you soon, will you be home this weekend or are you staying at your apartment?"

"That's still in negotiations." He said, considering reaching out to hug her until someone walked by with a large camera. Reporter, from the looks of her, and the last thing they needed was to find themselves on the cover of some gossip rag.

"Right. Well-" She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "See you Monday."

He stood there even after she had already dissapeared in a puff of green smoke.

"You're sure here a lot lately. Don't you have your own place for a reason?" Ginny asked, eyeing him as she walked through the kitchen, covered in mud from training and looking like picking a fight was at the top of her to do list.

In her defense, when he wasn't out with Hermione or at work, he was at the Burrow, trying to spend as much time around Hermione without making it obvious that there was something going on between them.

It had only been two weeks, but he was absolutely smitten, even more than he had been before.

"I just appreciate your company so much, I can't help but spend every waking minute here." He replied, batting his eyes at her innocently.

"Sure.." She said, picking up Teddy who was vying for her attention. "Well if you're going to be here, might as well make yourself useful and keep an eye on this one while I take my shower."

"Yes Ma'am, shall I shine your broom while I'm at it?" He asked, taking Teddy from her. The kid stank like open bottle of Pestilance Potion, which explained why she was so keen to hand him off.

"And my boots, can't be showing up to practice with scuffed boots now." Ginny called back, before heading up the stairs.

"I guess it's just you and me, huh?" He said, earning him a loud coo from Teddy.

He had not changed many dirty diapers in his day, and Teddy was an expert at diaper evasion. "Get back here!" He called, running after the bare-assed toddler, who was shrieking in delight at having evaded him.

"Woah there, where's your pants?" Hermione said, coming down the stairs just in time to snatch Teddy up. "I see he's gotten the better of you today as well."

"Oh no, I just think that air drying is the wave of the future." He replied, taking Teddy from her and carrying him back to the changing table, ignoring the kicks and screams of indignation.

"You're putting it on wrong." Hermione said, distracting the antsy toddler by conjuring a brightly colored streamer.

"I thought the straps went like this?"

"That's what I thought at first too, but you've got it – Teddy, give that back!" Hermione snapped, making a grab for her wand.

Teddy screamed and flailed, and bright green liquid spewed from the end of her wand with surprising force, splattering the wall and nearby couch. By the time Fred had managed to take it from him, the three of them were slimed as well.

"That's the last time I leave the two of you alone with him, honestly you're worse than Harry." Ginny said, descending the stairs with her hair in a towel, their savior.

"I resent that, he hasn't even eaten anything worthy of a trip to Mungo's."

Ginny sighed, stepping past them to clean Teddy up and put a fresh diaper on him. No longer covered in mud, her training bruises shone brightly against her skin, dark mottled purple and near black marks, along with lighter brown ones that were healing. Between that and her eyes that told their tales of sleepless nights, she looked like she needed someone to take over for her and send her to bed.

"I know I don't look like the person for the job right now, but do you want me to take him for the afternoon? You look exhausted." Fred offered, wiping slime out of his hair with one hand.

"I'll help." Hermione offered. "I'll make sure our wands are put up this time, I forgot how fascinated he is with them lately."

"I thought you we're going to work on your research fellowship application today." Ginny said, setting the spelled clean toddler into his play yard and handing him a teething biscuit.

"Research fellowship? You haven't mentioned that." Fred said, earning him a look from Ginny that begged the question of why Hermione would tell him about it in the first place.

"I didn't want to jinx it by talking about it too much, since they don't usually accept.. witches like me." She said. "But it's a summer program for students, this year's focus is making potions with alternative ingredients and it sounds very intriguing-"

She was rambling a bit like she did when something really excited her.

"-But I can work on my application later, it isn't due for a couple more days." She added, looking at Ginny. "I'll take a quick shower and then we can take Teddy to the park or something so you can get some sleep."

Ginny looked from Fred to Hermione, and back at Teddy, who was already working on climbing out of his play yard, throwing his biscuit at her feet and screeching.

Ginny was too honestly too young for the responsibility of being a full time parent, and it showed in moments like this as she bit her lip and tempered her anger, staring at the biscuit on the floor. She loved the little boy though, and it also showed in moments like the next one, when she scooped him up and lectured him about safety at the park, while Hermione dissapeared to take a shower.

He tried very hard to pay attention to Ginny's directions and not the idea of Hermione in the shower, but it was easier said than done.

Maybe he just spaced off for a moment.

He didn't remember a single direction.

It was fine, how hard could it be?

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!  
-Zen 


	5. The Unwelcome Omen

_**Chapter 5 - The Unwelcome Omen**_

"Have you heard anything back about your research thing yet?" Fred asked softly.

Hermione lifted her head to look at him, they had been lounging comfortably on the couch in his apartment for most of the afternoon, after being unable to decide on anything more productive to do with their shared day off.

"Not yet, but I should by the end of the week. Why do you ask?"

She had been trying not to get her hopes up too high, but she did rather want this. If she played her cards right, the fellowship would lead to job opportunities after she finished school, and she could be running her own lab before she knew it.

Of course, she wasn't entirely certain if a career trajectory of research was exactly what she wanted, but it was a plan with clear goals and that would do for now.

"I just hadn't heard you mention it in a couple days so I wanted to make sure you weren't hiding a rejection."

"Would I do that?" She replied, defensively.

"Yes."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he hadn't exactly left her much room to do so. "I'll let you know as soon as I do."

"Good, I'd like to know if I can expect to see a lot of you in a lab coat."

"Oh, is that your thing, scientists?"

"I know, it's not as interesting as entrepreneurs, but there's just something about stunning girls in lab coats, what with the pocket protectors .. and the beakers, my god the beakers." He let out a dramatic sigh.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"In the long term, I believe you decided on marriage. In the short term, I'm not sure about your plans but I was thinking of ordering takeout." He said, getting up and grabbing a menu out of the box beside the couch.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Course not, this is the best noodle place in Diagon Alley." He replied, smirking as he looked over the menu. His shirt had mysteriously gone missing while they were snuggling, and his collarbone bore a trail of purple bite marks that Hermione was very proud of.

"It's also the only noodle place in Diagon Alley." She said, sitting up and pulling her shirt back on over her tank top. While they had not worked up the courage to see each other in any real state of undress, they were getting more comfortable with each other at a pace that she liked.

"Did you want the beef special or the chicken?" He asked, chewing on the end of his pen.

"Do they have a vegetarian option?"

"You're really serious about that challenge, huh?"

Ginny's coach had recently challenged the team to go vegetarian for the month, and Hermione had offered to take up the gauntlet with her. It was a lot easier said than done.

"She'll know if I cheat, the girl is like a bloodhound."

"Maybe it'll throw her off the scent of you coming home looking like.. what did she say the other day?"

"She said I looked like I should tell her who I'm dating already before she hexes it out of me." She replied, working on putting her hair back into it's braid.

Fred finished writing out their order and folding the enchanted page into a paper airplane, tossed it out the window. "You could tell her, you know. It's not like this has to be a secret."

"I know, it's just.." She gestured vaguely, as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I don't think it'll bother them as much as you think it will."

They had this conversation before, but Hermione floundered and waffled every time. She wasn't so sure what exactly about the whole thing bothered her so much, but the allure of avoiding potential conflict for just a bit longer appealed to her.

"I just think we should wait a bit longer.. at least until after I decide if I'm going back to Hogwarts for the term or doing my coursework by correspondence."

"Didn't you say you were going to decide after the dedication ceremony tomorrow?"

Hermione grimaced. She really did not want to go, but she wasn't sure if it was the promise of the place swimming with reporters or just the fact that she hadn't been back since everything that had happened last year that was causing her such distress. Probably both.

"I said it's going to influence my decision, yes. Did you decide if you were going?"

He sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Decide is a bit of a funny way to say that Mum's insisting, but yeah, I'm going."

She lay her head on the back of the couch, watching him. The messy hair, the way the shadows fell over his face, his fingertips drumming on the countertop. Part of her longed for a future filled with him shirtless and leaning against countertops in a way that she didn't have the words to explain.

"Is my fly undone or something?" He asked, looking down to check himself over.

"No, I was just thinking about how nice you looked, what with the.. backdrop of dirty dishes."

"Sorry about that, it's supposed to be George's turn but he was too busy getting ready for his date tonight."

"It's fine. I hope he's having a good time." She replied. Ginny had set him up on a blind date with the brother of one of her teammates. Everyone involved was a bit skeptical at first, but they had been out for three hours and counting so far.

"Me too, I was a bit worried about him after what happened with Angelina, I never thought the two were a good match, but I didn't expect it to turn so nasty."

"You'll have that, I guess." Hermione said, reminding herself that mentioning the time she ran into Angelina at her therapy office wasn't in good taste. Everyone dealt with trauma differently, after all.

Speaking of, she still needed to journal on her prompt for this week. It wasn't the first time she had been given a difficult topic to write on, but this one had been giving her trouble all week.

Normally a very goal oriented and driven person, she had been struggling to figure out what her next steps should be. It was normal, her therapist had said, for someone who had spent so much time working towards a goal to feel lost after it was accomplished.

While it would be very easy to coast on her accomplishments for the rest of her life, that wasn't her style in the least. No, the research fellowship would be the next step – and if that fell through, maybe a ministry internship. Or there was always medical school, healing magic did have its appeal..

"Hermione? You okay?" Fred's voice snapped her back into reality.

"Yeah I'm fine just.." She shook her head. Takeout containers were spread across the coffee table in front of her. "I must have really spaced off."

"Just for a moment or five. Anything you want to talk about?" He asked as she picked up the container in front of her. Bright green peppers and broccoli, as well as bits of cabbage and orange curls of carrot were mixed in with the cream colored noodles and garlicky sauce.

"I was thinking about my application again, I can't really do anything until I hear back from them. It's infuriating." She replied, poking around the container with her chopsticks, finding a wealth of white and green sprouts and red bits of pepper.

He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, leaning back against the couch. "What do you want to be doing right now?"

"Something, anything really, but I don't want to start a large project in case I do get the fellowship. I just don't know what to do with myself."

"Do you ever consider just letting yourself relax for a bit?" He suggested, before deftly cramming a mess of noodles into his mouth. It wasn't exactly an attractive sight, but she ignored it.

"A brilliant idea, how did you ever think of it?" She relied, biting into a noodle. It was good but not quite on par with the spicy beef she usually ordered.

"Just my usual cleverness shining though." He replied with a wink. "If it wasn't busy season I'd take you on a trip or something."

She did like the idea of the two of them taking a trip together, just the two of them. "We could go to Australia, its really pretty if you don't mind the spiders."

"Are you asking me to meet your parents?"

"..That was part of it." She admitted, shifting all her focus to her noodles.

"So are we telling your family first or mine, cause I have to admit, keeping this a secret from your family is a hell of a lot easier than keeping it from mine."

"What's this about family secrets?" George asked, the front door slamming shut behind him as he walked into the living room.

"Quickly now Granger, hide so he doesn't find out about us." Fred teased. Hermione threw a packet of soy sauce at him.

"How was your date?" She asked, both curious and generally eager to change the subject.

"Awful. Absolutely terrible. Just.. downright rotten." He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I can tell. Why don't you sit down and tell us about it. I ordered extra in case you showed up broken-hearted." Fred said.

"You're a life-saver." George said, taking the offered container and chopsticks before collapsing heavily into the sagging armchair. "The dude has no taste in restaurants. He's honestly lucky he's so cute."

"Is that a yes on the second date, then?" Hermione asked, getting up to grab a drink from the kitchen.

"Oh, absolutely. I have to show the idiot where to get decent food around here, don't I?" George replied, still beaming. "Will you get me some juice while you're in there?"

"Sure thing." She replied, opening the cabinet to a distinct lack of clean glassware. "Do you two honestly not know any cleaning spells?"

"It's less a matter of not knowing any and more a matter of being terrible at them. We usually do the washing by hand." Fred said. "Here, I'll take care of it."

"You'd think I was the one around here that grew up with magic." Hermione said, pulling out her wand and charming the dishes clean and into the cabinet herself. "There, isn't that nice?"

It was obvious from the look on his face that Fred was pretty embarrassed about letting her clean his apartment for him, even if it was something as simple as a scullery charm. "You mind showing me that one again? I could never get the hang of the movements."

She got a few plates back out of the cabinet and showed him, it was a tricky bit of wand work, come to think of it.

He broke every plate in the sink when he tried.

"Let me try." George said, setting down his empty takeaway container and walking over.

In his defense, he broke less plates than his brother did.

"Alright, let's try an easier spell. Combining the cleaning, drying, and putting away is more for show anyway.."

Walking away from the brewing spellcasting competition between the two with a full glass of pomegranate juice, Hermione sat down on the couch and cracked open a fortune cookie.

She didn't even get the chance to read the fortune, as a large booming noise from behind made her jump.

"What are you two doing?"

"Well, I noticed the motion for the drying spell is pretty similar to this explosive spell..." Fred explained, as though that was a reasonable thing to do indoors.

What was she going to do with him, honestly?  
"It's getting late, I think I better head out before someone sends a search party for me." Hermione said, sticking the still unread fortune in her pocket. Best to head home before the two of them turned her cleaning spells into a fireworks display, in any case.

"It's only nine." Fred said, walking over to convince her to stay.  
"The library closes at eight thirty."

He opened his mouth to say something, and then deciding better of it, exhaled sharply. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" 

* * *

"Have fun at the library?" Ginny asked as she walked into the living room. It was hard to hear her over Teddy's pre-bedtime screaming, and Hermione scooped him up to distract him.

"I did. Anything interesting happen here?"

Ginny yawned. "Harry practiced his speech for tomorrow about twenty times. I said it needed a little work so he's rewriting it from scratch. He might appreciate you taking a look, come to think of it."

"I can do that, it would help me clear my mind a bit."

"There's a letter for you in the kitchen, Hermione dear." Mrs. Weasley said, heading out of the kitchen and heading up the stairs.

Finally.

Handing Teddy back to Ginny, she went to retrieve the letter and returned to the living room with it.

"That's funny, there's a ministry seal on this." Hermione said, turning the letter over.

"Is the fellowship not through the ministry?" Ginny asked, Teddy burrowing his face into her shoulder.

"No, it's a private organization-" She replied, unfolding the parchment inside and beginning to read.

No.

This would not do.

This would not do at all.

"Everything okay?" Ginny asked, her voice concerned as Hermione read the letter over a second time.

"This isn't ethical." She said, not answering the question.

"What isn't ethical?"

"They. I. Here, read this." Hermione handed the page off to Ginny, who in turn had to fight to keep it away from Teddy, who was also very interested in what it said.

"Here, take him, I can't read when he's being like this." Ginny said, passing the toddler back to Hermione.

"This has to be a joke, I'm sure the twins or someone-"

"I don't think this is something they'd pull." Hermione cut her off. At least, if this was Fred's idea of a joke, she had a quite a few things to say to him.

"You two alright down here?" Harry said, coming down the stairs with a piece of parchment in his hands. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"The ghost of idiotic legislature past, maybe. Look at this nonsense the ministry's sent Hermione." Ginny said, passing it to him.

"_In the interest of promoting a future of harmony, understanding, and alliance between Muggle-born and Full-blooded wizards, it has been decided and decreed that all Muggle-born witch and wizards under the age of thirty-five shall be married into a Full-Blooded family by no later than May 2 of 2000-_" He paused, looking at Ginny and Hermione. "This is the most ridiculous-" He struggled for the proper description of what he had just read.

"We aren't letting them do this to you." Ginny said, adamantly.

"Absolutely not." Harry and Hermione said, almost in unison.

Harry handed the letter back, and as Hermione went to shove it angrily in her pocket, a tiny scrap of paper fluttered out, her forgotten fortune from earlier. Handing Teddy back to Ginny, she picked it up and gave it a look.

While she wasn't the type to look for omens, she could use a bit of good fortune, or at least something to make her smile.

_'Take the chance while you still have the choice.'_

No, that wouldn't do either, now would it? 

* * *

_**Happy Halloween!** Let me know in the reviews what sort of spooky business you got up to. _

_As always, thanks for reading!_

_-zen_


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